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Overview: An extremely gifted All-Star small forward who has had a hard time finding playoff success despite his surreal offensive skills. Has prototypical size for the small forward position. Filled out his once skinny frame pretty quickly. Jumps out of the gym. Possesses a great first step, a nasty crossover, and tremendous lift on his jump shot. Injuries have limited his once excellent athleticism, though. Developed his perimeter game early in his career. Won the Most Improved Player Award in 2001. Can get really hot from outside. Stuffs the stat sheet. Showed the potential be a dynamic player at Mount Zion Christian Academy HS, but needed some time to become the player he is. Forms a nice combo with Yao Ming, but misses a lot of games due to injuries. Durability is the only negative about him at this point. Seven time All-Star. Still waiting to make a deep playoff run. Cousin of fellow NBA star Vince Carter. Health will be something to monitor over the next few years. His star has dimmed a bit as of late.

Offense: Simply dominant when healthy, but not particularly efficient. The type of player that can put up big numbers even when his man is playing outstanding defense. Gets a third of his offense from pick and roll situations where he can simply dribble off and pull up, with another quarter coming from isolations. Impressive jump shot, but his shot-selection hurts his percentages. Gets incredible elevation and can shoot off balance with little trouble, particularly from mid-range range. Not very effective from beyond the arc, but still attempts quite a few shots from there. Operates as a bit of a point forward for Houston. Great one-on-one skills. Excellent hesitation moves and use of ball fakes. Plays the game at many different speeds. Effective crossover. Hard to stop off the dribble. Outstanding ball-handler at his size. Prefers to go left and go to the rim where he can finish explosively with either hand. Can get by his man when he faces up in the post. Great catch and shoot player. Doesnt get a lot of transition opportunities. Gets to the line at a good rate, but needs to improve his consistency. Has gotten worse there every single year of his career, which is a pretty amazing feat. Great passer. Does a great job creating shots for others. Has become more unselfish later on in his career. Will turn the ball over periodically.

Defense: A superstar who brings intensity to the defensive end only when he needs to. Makes a decent effort on the boards, but could pull down many more rebounds if he wanted to. Doesnt have to cover an opposing teams best player which masks his inconsistent efforts. Will take bad passes coast to coast occasionally. Will box out when his man is around the basket. Has a tough time guarding bigger forwards. Not an ideal post defender. Will cut his man off when he wants to. Wont attempt to challenge too many shots, despite possessing impressive length. His stance is indicative of his effort level. Becomes a good defender when it counts.